Current News

by Elizabeth Campbell Vermont is a glorious place to live for so many reasons but if you, like me, are the parent of an adult child with significant cognitive disabilities, Vermont can be a scary place to call home. Not because Vermonters aren’t unfailingly kind to my son, who has a particularly challenging form of Down Syndrome and so will need lifelong supervision. It’s a scary place to live because once I am no longer able to care for my son, he will likely end up in Vermont’s adult foster care system, which Vermont calls “Shared Living.”

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's seemingly endless pursuit of universal access to high-speed internet service continued on June 8, when Governor Phil Scott signed legislation, H360, which will establish a Vermont Community Broadband Board. The new body will award grants to build out the state's telecommunications network so as to provide 100 megabit-per-second download and upload speeds – symmetrical 100Mbps, in common parlance.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Service has issued the 2021 Vermont Ten-Year Telecommunications Plan. The final plan was adopted June 30. The 382-page Plan provides an overview of the current state of telecommunications services and facilities in the state, current trends in usage and adoption, and recommendations for improving access to broadband services throughout Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine As the world reopens in anticipation of one of the biggest travel seasons in history—Mamava, the category creator of freestanding lactation spaces, and Hello Bello, the premium baby products company co-founded by parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, announced a partnership that will show some big love to breastfeeding mothers. To kick things off, Hello Bello teamed up with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to place 11 Mamava ADA pods into all post-security concourses at the busiest airport in the United States.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Nuclear Waste Policy Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT NDCAP) will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, July 19, 2021 from 1 pm to 2 pm. This meeting will be conducted primarily as a webcast and teleconference. However, in accordance with Vermont Open Meeting Law, the following physical location will be available for those wishing to attend this meeting: 118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro.

by King Whetstone, Regional Director, USDA-NASS, Northeastern Regional Field Office Corn planted for all purposes in 2021 is estimated at 85,000 acres in Vermont, unchanged from last year. Growers expect to harvest 160,000 acres of hay, down 4% from last year. Other hay is estimated at 145,000 acres, down 3% from 2020. Alfalfa hay is estimated at 15,000 acres, down 12% from the previous year.

Vermont State Police On Saturday morning, at approximately 0338 hours, State Police responded to a single vehicle crash located on Route 7, Charlotte. Assisting agencies included Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte Rescue, and the Williston Police Department. The sole occupant of the vehicle, the operator was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center by ambulance where he was pronounced deceased. The operator was identified as Gregory Ouellette.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington City Arts is bringing Festival of Fools back to downtown Burlington from July 30-August 1, 2021. Presented by Community Bank NA, this year's festival marks a return to the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park after having to cancel the beloved celebration in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Rootstock Publishing, a Montpelier-based publisher and imprint of Multicultural Media, Inc., announces the August 17th release of Venice Beach, a coming-of-age novel by William Mark Habeeb, of Arlington, Virginia. Venice Beach follows a thirteen-year-old boy who flees an abusive household for the lure of sunny California. It is 1968, and Venice Beach, or “Slum-by-the-Sea,” is steeped in the culture of drugs, war, and sex. But for Moon—a name he chooses for himself—the culture’s outer chaos matches the intensity of his inner chaos: his quest for light, love, and acceptance as he tries to erase the legacy of his hurtful past.

Vermont Business Magazine Airbnb has announced the #1 most hospitable Host in the entire state of Vermont -- Eva from Burlington, with her listing Vermont River House, Tiny House by Winooski Falls. Airbnb released a national report highlighting the most hospitable Host in each of the 50 US states. These Hosts have achieved the most 100% 5-star reviews in the categories of Cleanliness, Check-In, and Communication in their respective states -- with a minimum of 100 reviews.

Vermont Business Magazine The Addison County Chamber of Commerce has announced the grand opening of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices-Vermont Reality Group offices at 32 Merchants Row in Middlebury.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that following two days of mediation, the City of Burlington, 100 Bank LLC (Redstone), and BTC Mall Associates LLC have reached a global settlement where all suits and appeals already have been or will be dropped, clearing a path for the major mixed-used CityPlace development and reconnected streets to move forward, and releasing all Burlington Development Review Board members and city employees from any claim of inappropriate action. 100 Bank will get $400,000 in the settlement.